Top Stories 
Published On May 3, 2006
POLICY
Blood Count
The need for—and dearth of—one precious commodity.
2
Seconds that pass until another American needs a transfusion
4,500,000
Number of American lives saved each year by transfusions
48
Gallons of blood an American could donate if she began giving at age 17 and gave every 56 days until reaching age 76
5
Estimated annual percentage of eligible Americans who donate
500,000
Number of Americans who donated in the days following the September 11 attacks
29,000,000
Number of units of blood components transfused in 2001 (a single donation can be divided into plasma, platelets and red blood cells)
2
Times as likely heart patients are to die after a transfusion to treat blood loss or anemia as heart patients who do not receive a transfusion, possibly because of such problems as artery disease aggravated by the transfusion.
Dispatches
Bright Future for the Feces Cure Transplanting healthy human feces became a breakthrough treatment for C. diff infection. Now researchers ask—can it do more?
Scourge of the Summer Lyme disease cases spike in the warmer months. Research on the disease is inching forward, as the number of reported infections reaches new heights.
Cocoanut Grove, 1942 The largest nightclub fire in U.S. history became a milestone in modern medicine.
Is Skipping a Child’s Vaccines Medical Neglect? Pediatricians want to know whether they can call child protective services if a parent refuses to vaccinate. The answer remains unclear.
Pain for Women, Pain for Men Males and females experience pain differently—and appear to process it differently, too. Why has it taken so long for science to find out?
After Surgery, Less Pain Changing the norms of surgery may head off the addiction that can take root during recovery.
Top Stories
Sniffing Out Lung Cancer
Testing cells in the nostril may change how doctors diagnose the deadliest form of cancer.
